Meng Chu never expected this. She thought she was only coming to Cheng Jinyu’s house to take care of him while he had a fever.
But judging by how things were going, it seemed like she was going to be staying here long-term?
“Want to try on the clothes to see if they fit?” Cheng Jinyu asked kindly when he saw her standing frozen in place.
Meng Chu hurriedly replied, “But I can’t accept any of these.”
Nearby, Wu Shan was busy directing the people at the door to bring in the shopping bags.
When she turned around, she heard Meng Chu say that and was instantly surprised: “You don’t like any of them?”
But then she quickly took on a serious tone: “It’s okay. If you don’t like them, I’ll exchange them right away.”
As a professional secretary, Wu Shan was always ready to face challenges head-on.
Meng Chu hadn’t realized that Wu Shan overheard what she said to Cheng Jinyu.
She hurriedly added, “No, it’s just that they’re too extravagant. I don’t think I’d be suited to wear them.”
Unexpectedly, Wu Shan smiled and said, “Don’t worry. When I bought the clothes, I considered this too. All these pieces are very understated and high quality—there are absolutely no big brand logos anywhere.”
Nowadays, luxury brands seem either to want to flaunt themselves or to let the buyer enjoy the feeling of everyone knowing they’re wearing designer clothes. Brand-name pieces are usually covered with logos.
Meng Chu rarely bought luxury goods herself; the few bags she owned were only for important occasions.
“If you want, you can keep them for now. But if you really don’t like them, I’ll exchange them. You already have my WeChat,” Wu Shan said enthusiastically.
In truth, when her boss told her to buy clothes, Wu Shan had no hesitation.
She had met Meng Chu before, though only once.
But she could tell Meng Chu wasn’t someone who liked to be flashy.
She seemed more like a confident, independent, highly educated woman. Later, Wu Shan even quietly looked into Meng Chu’s background.
She discovered that the woman was exactly as she had imagined.
Graduated from top schools, then co-founded Xingyuan Technology with her schoolmates.
She was the only female founder of Xingyuan Technology.
At that moment, Wu Shan thought that since her boss was so picky, his taste in a wife couldn’t be bad.
Meng Chu took a deep breath. “It’s too much trouble.”
Wu Shan replied, “This is my job. You shouldn’t think it’s a bother.”
Well, it seemed Wu Shan had prepared all this since early morning.
Meng Chu really didn’t want to trouble her by returning or exchanging everything now.
“Just don’t buy anything else later,” Meng Chu said solemnly.
Wu Shan nodded. “Today, I just prepared these temporarily.”
Meng Chu looked around at the living room, which was nearly filled with shopping bags, and still couldn’t help but feel shocked.
Cheng Jinyu glanced at Wu Shan and smiled lightly.
Wu Shan nodded slightly, clearly having received praise from her boss.
Once most of the things were moved, Wu Shan asked, “Should I take these into the walk-in closet? But, Cheng, where exactly is your walk-in closet?”
“Down the corridor,” Cheng Jinyu said calmly.
Meng Chu looked at Wu Shan. “I’ll do it myself.”
“There’s too much. Don’t be polite,” Wu Shan smiled.
Cheng Jinyu was about to speak when his phone rang. He lowered his voice to Meng Chu, “I’ll take this call.”
He walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window to answer.
Meng Chu glanced at him but still helped Wu Shan carry the items.
When they brought the first batch of bags to the closet, Wu Shan looked around. “This is my first time at Mr. Cheng’s house. Is it okay to put them here?”
She was asking Meng Chu.
Meng Chu nodded; it should be fine.
Curious, she asked, “How long have you been Cheng Jinyu’s secretary?”
“Six years,” Wu Shan answered without hesitation. “Since Mr. Cheng founded Yunji Capital, I’ve been his secretary.”
“You’ve never been to his house once?”
Meng Chu was somewhat shocked.
Wu Shan quickly explained, “Mr. Cheng has strong boundaries, but he always keeps a good distance from female employees. Even though I’m his secretary, it’s usually his assistant, Yao Zheng, who comes here.”
Meng Chu smiled faintly at her.
“I’m not just saying this because Cheng asked me to. I’m telling you the truth,” Wu Shan added.
Meng Chu nodded. “I understand.”
Although she sensed Wu Shan was trying to curry favor, she could tell Cheng Jinyu’s personality from this.
He really was the type who kept everyone at a distance.
So, toward her, he must be special.
After Wu Shan finished tidying up and left, Cheng Jinyu ended his call.
He walked to the walk-in closet, looking a little apologetic. “Sorry, that call took too long.”
“It’s work,” Meng Chu replied.
At this moment, Cheng Jinyu came over, bent down, and offered to help. “Let me put some clothes away.”
Meng Chu was a little confused.
She said, “You’re still the patient. Your main job today at home is to rest.”
“Putting a few pieces of clothing away won’t knock me out right away,” Cheng Jinyu said calmly.
He then pulled a light beige trench coat from a shopping bag and examined it carefully. “This one will suit you.”
Meng Chu glanced at the coat in his hand— it was slightly loose, understated, and good quality.
Even the color was beautiful.
“Good eye,” she nodded.
Cheng Jinyu looked the coat over seriously and then hung it in the wardrobe.
“This walk-in closet, don’t you use it?” Meng Chu asked, noticing it was empty.
Cheng Jinyu said softly, “This is for the lady of the house. I shouldn’t be occupying it.”
Meng Chu: “…”
So that’s what ‘occupying the cuckoo’s nest’ means.
But the two of them tidied up quickly.
At first, she thought she’d only be staying one night, but the next day Cheng Jinyu was still listless. He really looked like he was slowly recovering.
So Meng Chu had to take another day off.
She even went home to bring her laptop over, managing to work from home.
That evening, she received a WeChat message from Song Yumian.
Song Yumian: [Chu Chu, let’s go to the high-speed rail station early the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow is the last workday before the holiday. Everyone will be rushing to request time off, so it’ll be crowded and could cause traffic jams.]
Meng Chu: [If you hadn’t mentioned it, I almost forgot.]
Song Yumian: [Not being proactive about holidays is problematic thinking.]
Meng Chu: [Fine, I have problematic thinking.]
Song Yumian: [Too bad we both got tickets without seats. We’ll have to stand on the way home.]
Meng Chu: [Thanks for reminding me about that.]
Song Yumian: [Luckily it’s just an hour. We can endure it.]
At dinner, Meng Chu mentioned to Cheng Jinyu that she had to go home the next day.
Seeing him raise his eyes to look at her, she immediately explained, “I have to go back tomorrow to sort some things out. It’s not that the holiday’s starting right away. I want to visit my hometown. I haven’t seen my mom in a long time.”
“Oh,” Cheng Jinyu nodded, then asked, “How are you going back?”
“High-speed rail—it’s convenient,” Meng Chu said.
Cheng Jinyu asked again, “Is the high-speed rail station far from your home?”
Meng Chu replied softly, “About an hour. Our home is near one of those ancient towns—very beautiful. Next time, if there’s a chance, I’ll take you to visit.”
This region in Jiangnan was never short on quaint, ancient water towns.
Meng Chu sighed, “Strictly speaking, I’m a genuine ‘small-town test taker.’”
“That’s not a derogatory term,” Cheng Jinyu said seriously.
Meng Chu smiled. “I know. I’ve never felt inferior; in fact, I’m quite proud. Because it means even a small-town test taker can change their life through knowledge.”
“I’ve already decided that when I succeed, I’ll set up the Qingying Scholarship at my hometown’s alma mater.”
This time, Cheng Jinyu truly showed a faint look of surprise.
He knew Meng Chu was never ordinary; deep down, she had the spirit of an old-school scientist.
Her entrepreneurial struggle wasn’t just for herself but for a greater ideal.
“Qingying is my mother’s name. It’s a beautiful name,” Meng Chu said emotionally.
Cheng Jinyu’s lips curled into a faint smile. “It really is a beautiful name.”
“Are you going home alone?” Cheng Jinyu seemed unusually interested in this question.
“No, with my best friend Song Yumian.”
Suddenly, Cheng Jinyu said, “Why don’t you have Master Liu send you both home? During the holidays, it’s busy, and carrying luggage might be inconvenient.”
“That’s too much trouble,” Meng Chu subconsciously said.
Cheng Jinyu pressed the back of his hand to his cheek and smiled lightly, “Do you think asking your employee to do something is a trouble?”
Meng Chu was left speechless but said, “I’ll have to ask my friend’s opinion.”
“Alright,” Cheng Jinyu didn’t press further.
After dinner, Meng Chu called Song Yumian.
“Do we have a ride home?” Song Yumian heard her mumbling voice and suddenly laughed, “Just say it’s your boyfriend’s car picking us up.”
“No, it’s not him.”
“Ah? Then who?”
“It’s his driver.”